I think that ”Constructivism is a psychological theory which brought a new horizon in the learning-teaching field opposed to Behaviorism and Cognitivism.” That´s right. Humanistic sciences have contributed to the development of Vygotsky´s theory because it has considered the inner part of a person to involve him in his daily learning process. This is when scaffolding takes importance in a person´s life at any age. Some of the new knowledge is there ready to be absorved.the Vygostsky´s theory is also supported on social construction of knowledge Furthermore Human beings are born with the ability to learn a language. We all must be exposed the language to activate the peripheral senses involved in this process which is the primary listening ability and later the reading ability that must be conducted and acquired. Through spoken language, people initiate the intechange of codes, phonemes, and structures that are not identified but understood with no prior approaches to visual language (written). These codes emerge out from nothing but humans at an early age are able to assimilate them and transform them because they have experienced their meaning in their general contexts and appropriate the meaning of the words as they get them and used them or listen to them.
The process of adquiring a native language is different when a person learns a second language or a foreign language. This is just because they receive the language the way it is: in its natural form and context compound by the structures (grammar), pronunciation (phonetics), writing (spelling) and its various forms with no consciousness of the learning process. They use the language in its natural forms: by using it, by speaking it, writing it, listening to it and reading it. The same way we all lern our own language which is Spanish.
To aim directly to the essence of this reflection, I do think that age plays an important role because our brain is still developing and psichologists, sociologists and many experts of human behaviour state that children are “sponges” that absorbe it all. I have proved that case in my home. I have a son and a daughter. They both are connected with English because since before they were born, I used to talk to them in English and their mother in Spanish. It sounded crazy for first instance to me but that´s what I did anyway and I can say they are bilingual because they acquired the two languages at an early age and they use it not in a perfect way but very close to it. This is just because they do not use English to communicate with people around them, only with me and occasionally with native English speakers. If they were in constant contact with the second language, they would find it easier to use either of these two languages.
For adult people, it becomes more difficult to learn a second language because these abilities are gone as years go by. This is because they have acquired the model of a single country and take the characteristics and the culture of the native language they speak. Many people try to learn to satisfy their needs, to fulfill requirements, to have intechanges because of a scholarship in a foreign country and many more reasons. But are they succesful when they study a second language? The answer is no. I´ve seen and witnessed different people that come to me telling me their own stories about this process and I can see how disenchanted they are because they´ve failed in many attempts done before to learn English. I think methods can be good, but not good enough so people really learn to speak the language in its entirety. Factors like disposition, motivation, self-worth play in favor or against themselves. In my opinion, it´s dangerous to offer especial programs or methods where they assure society you learn English in natural way. The process of learning a language depends on 95% of attitude of the student and 5% of the method used for it.To summarize, children between 0 and 12 years old have more possibilities to learn a language. Teenagers are constantly in contact with English by the use of video games and music, that plays on their favor. Young adults are forced to learn a language but they do not do that or fairly learn it and adults may have the chance, but it´s quite difficult for them to count on the odds for a succesful process.
I think that ” Constructivism is a psychological theory which brought a new horizon in the learning-teaching field opposed to Behaviorism and Cognitivism.” That´s right. Humanistic sciences have contributed to the development of Vygotsky´s theory because it has considered the inner part of a person to involve him in his daily learning process. This is when scaffolding takes importance in a person´s life at any age. Some of the new knowledge is there ready to be absorved.the Vygostsky´s theory is also supported on social construction of knowledge Furthermore Human beings are born with the ability to learn a language. We all must be exposed the language to activate the peripheral senses involved in this process which is the primary listening ability and later the reading ability that must be conducted and acquired. Through spoken language, people initiate the intechange of codes, phonemes, and structures that are not identified but understood with no prior approaches to visual language (written). These codes emerge out from nothing but humans at an early age are able to assimilate them and transform them because they have experienced their meaning in their general contexts and appropriate the meaning of the words as they get them and used them or listen to them.
ReplyDeleteThe process of adquiring a native language is different when a person learns a second language or a foreign language. This is just because they receive the language the way it is: in its natural form and context compound by the structures (grammar), pronunciation (phonetics), writing (spelling) and its various forms with no consciousness of the learning process. They use the language in its natural forms: by using it, by speaking it, writing it, listening to it and reading it. The same way we all lern our own language which is Spanish.
To aim directly to the essence of this reflection, I do think that age plays an important role because our brain is still developing and psichologists, sociologists and many experts of human behaviour state that children are “sponges” that absorbe it all. I have proved that case in my home. I have a son and a daughter. They both are connected with English because since before they were born, I used to talk to them in English and their mother in Spanish. It sounded crazy for first instance to me but that´s what I did anyway and I can say they are bilingual because they acquired the two languages at an early age and they use it not in a perfect way but very close to it. This is just because they do not use English to communicate with people around them, only with me and occasionally with native English speakers. If they were in constant contact with the second language, they would find it easier to use either of these two languages.